Zip Lining: Mark This Off My Bucket List

I have been wanting to go zip lining for awhile now.  I tried it in Florida when I went to a church picnic with my grandkids.  You must understand, it was made for small children and not adults, but I did it several times and enjoyed it.

Onto my latest adventure . . .  My cousin-in-law Scott Shubert and I made a reservation at Common Ground (https://commongroundcenter.org/) in Oberlin, Ohio for a two and a half hour zip lining course. We made a 10:00am reservation.  Five other people joined us, plus two guides. 

There was a training course before we actually went into the trees.  We had to learn how to stop ourselves and how to pull ourselves to the other side of the zip line if we fell short and stopped too soon.  From there, we went into the trees.  The first zip line was a short one.  After we all made it across, we were asked to hang off the tree by the edge of the platform.  You must be trusting of your guide and gear – that’s for sure.

Next, we went onto the first rope bridge.  It was made of two planks of wood and we had to cross it.  Of course, my cousin decided to have some fun and jump on it so it would make me nervous.  I just told him I was going to tell his mommy.

The course continued through another six zip lines, where we sometimes climbed up spiral staircases to reach the next platform.  There was a floating bridge (just like in Harry Potter) that we had to ascend; one person at a time.  It was a bit daunting, but fun.   The best part for me was doing a yoga tree pose at 67-1/2 years of age.  We were about 50+ feet up in the air. I was so proud of myself.

Then we went down about a 500- foot long zip line and I did a cannonball pose, but forgot to put my legs down and came in hot at the landing.  Luckily there is a safety stop for those of us who are having so much fun that we forget to brake! 

We climbed up another staircase and the guide wanted us to pose leaning out from the tree while she went up to the next zip line and took our picture.  It was great! Finally, after the last zip line of 800 feet or so, we had to repel down to the ground from the platform.  That was the scariest thing for me to do and I was the second one to volunteer.  Once I got off the platform it was the biggest rush and I loved every moment.